Coffee with Cotton – October 4, 2010
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I have worked at some really good companies and some that were not so good. Today I want to focus on how you treat a new employee. I remember a radio sales job I took in Miami, having just moved there from San Francisco. I had only been in the area for a couple of weeks, and actually lived about 30 miles north of the radio station so was not even familiar with what was near the station.
On my first day, the manager said hello and then disappeared. I was given no instructions other than “here’s our media kit – why don’t you familiarize yourself with it?” At lunch time, the other sales people all left for lunch. I had no idea about where to eat and didn’t know the area at all. It was not a great start. I did not feel that I was a valued addition to the company. Now I can understand how busy we all are, but here are the things I have always done for a new employee, particularly on their first day and even in their first week:
- I am there to greet them and to show them their desk or office and where things are.
- I show them things like how to use the phone, set up voice mail, etc.
- I give them a list of other employees, what they do and where they are located. I generally set up brief meetings with the team members and managers so they can give an overview as to what their job functions are.
- I have them “shadow” other team members. For example, if they are in sales, I arrange for them to go on calls with each of the other sales people.
- I take them to lunch. I also try to arrange an “after hours” get together with some of the other team members.
Now if you are not in a position to do this yourself, I’d suggest you find someone who will do these things. It gets the new employee off “on the right foot”.
